The International Rescue Committee goes to crisis zones to rescue and rebuild. We bring refugees from harm to home.

Volunteer to Assist Refugees

In the United States
The International Rescue Committee’s regional resettlement offices rely on volunteers to support their work helping refugees adjust to a new life in the United States.

Volunteers work closely with IRC staff members to:

  • Tutor refugees in basic English skills
  • Help refugees write resumes and prepare for job interviews
  • Contact potential employers on behalf of refugees
  • Assist IRC staff with cultural orientations
  • Accompany refugees to various appointments
  • Pick up donated furniture and goods and deliver them to refugees’ new homes
  • Provide basic office support
  • Help staff write grants and maintain a grants database
  • Help staff with media relations and publications such as newsletters, brochures, and annual reports
  • Mentor a refugee family or individual 

We look for volunteers with:

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Flexibility, patience and the ability to work in a multi-cultural environment
  • The ability to work well in a team as well as independently

(Prior experience working with refugees, asylees or immigrants and fluency in another language - French, Arabic, Somali, Vietnamese, Bosnian, Russian, etc. - are helpful, but not essential.)

For more information or to volunteer, please contact the IRC regional resettlement office in your area

Global Programs
We also periodically post volunteer opportunities with programs worldwide. Please visit our Job Search page and select "Volunteer" from the "Work Schedule" menu.  

IRC volunteer Paige Kayihan (left) with two of the Ethiopian refugee children she mentors.
Photo: International Rescue Committee

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International Rescue Committee
122 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10168 USA
Phone: (212) 551-3000
Donate: 877-REFUGEE

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From Harm to Home.